Welcome to the Louisville Restaurants Forum, a civil place for the intelligent discussion of the local restaurant scene and just about any other topic related to food and drink in and around Louisville.
User avatar
User

Robin Garr

{ RANK }

Forum host

Posts

22979

Joined

Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:38 pm

Location

Crescent Hill

Wild Eggs maintains its eggy goodness

by Robin Garr » Wed Jun 14, 2017 9:28 am

Wild Eggs maintains its eggy goodness

LEO's Eats with Robin Garr

Pop’s poppin’ egg salad sandwich at Wild Eggs.
Image

Can a great independent restaurant remain great when it evolves into a corporate chain? This favorite topic for foodie debate plays out time and again, just about any time a favorite eatery opens a second location, and then a third.

Looking back, I’ve got to say that the odds don’t favor success, as anyone who remembers the beloved original Tumbleweed or the first J. Gumbo’s knows well. At some point in the process, the heavy thumb of the corporate bean counter presses down on the incredible lightness of the original dream, and creative risks get locked down by profit concerns.

So here’s good news: When we dropped by Wild Eggs in Westport Village with my visiting sister in tow the other day, I was delighted to rediscover that this place that lit my gustatory fire when its first shop opened on Dutchmans Lane almost 10 years ago is just as good as ever now that it has grown to 14 locations in five states, including four in Louisville and one in Jeffersonville, Indiana, with another in downtown Cincinnati coming soon.

Of course, I’m an easy mark for the incredible edible egg, an ad slogan that has survived for 41 years perhaps because of its truth. Show me an eatery with “egg” in its name, from Wild Eggs to Con Huevos to Steak and Egg or maybe Toast on Market (where the egg is implied), and I’ll tuck my napkin into my shirt and sit right down to some henfruit. (Triple credit if the eggs are locally produced by cage-free birds munching grass under nature’s sunlight, although I expect that’s one of the joys that has to go when a Mom’n’Pop becomes, you know, a chain.)

Still, Wild Eggs does a surprisingly good job of living up to its mission statement: “Our goal is to offer the same level of preparation, presentation and service that guests can expect from an upscale dining experience.”

The Westport Plaza shop mirrors the sunny-morning look of the other outlets, with blue and yellow pastels and a large glass wall filled to the top with thousands of eggs. We dined outside for lunch on a recent beautiful day, with just-right breezes, puffy clouds in a bright late-spring sky, and strategically placed patio umbrellas to provide needed shade.

The chain has apparently thrived by building on consistency. It has remained devoted to breakfast and lunch, with a fairly extensive menu that speaks to the egg lover in everyone but does not require haters to consume them. The top menu price has gone up only a dollar over a decade, now topping out at $12.99 (for steak and eggs); most choices are under $10, and a thrifty diner could put together a decent eggs and biscuit breakfast from the sides menu for well under $5. Breakfast and lunch menus meet and intermingle, and both are available throughout the day. ...

Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/wild- ... y-goodness

You'll also find this review in LEO Weekly’s Food & Drink section today.
http://www.leoweekly.com/category/food-drink/

Wild Eggs
Westport Village
1311 Herr Lane
618-2866
https://wildeggs.com
facebook.com/WildEggsKentucky
Robin Garr’s rating: 87 points
no avatar
User

Mike D

{ RANK }

Foodie

Posts

352

Joined

Tue Nov 17, 2009 3:29 pm

Re: Wild Eggs maintains its eggy goodness

by Mike D » Wed Jun 14, 2017 11:01 pm

Their "Kalamity Katie’s Border Benedict" is, in my humble opinion, the best breakfast dish in town.
no avatar
User

CrisBanaszynski

{ RANK }

Foodie

Posts

48

Joined

Tue Nov 18, 2014 7:39 pm

Location

119 Saint Matthews Avenue

Re: Wild Eggs maintains its eggy goodness

by CrisBanaszynski » Thu Jun 15, 2017 12:22 pm

I love Wild Eggs! Breakfast nachos, bloody Mary's, all the Benedict choices. The best!
Never trust a skinny chef...or a fat vegan
no avatar
User

Andrew Mellman

{ RANK }

Foodie

Posts

1694

Joined

Fri Mar 02, 2007 10:33 am

Location

Louisville

Re: Wild Eggs maintains its eggy goodness

by Andrew Mellman » Thu Jun 15, 2017 12:41 pm

While I like Wild Eggs - and agree about the Kalamity Benedict - my favorite remains Verbena in Norton Commons:

1. Largest menu, with plethora of good choices and frequent specials
2. For benedicts, I've never had a poached egg that came out hard! Can't say that about Wild Eggs.
3. When I order hashed browns burnt, I mean it. Wild Eggs gives me potatoes with an occasional brown spot, while at Verbena they come out truly burnt!

Still like and go to Wild Eggs (and my wife likes that better), but prefer Verbena with an occasional visit to Con Huevos.
Andrew Mellman
User avatar
User

Robin Garr

{ RANK }

Forum host

Posts

22979

Joined

Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:38 pm

Location

Crescent Hill

Re: Wild Eggs maintains its eggy goodness

by Robin Garr » Thu Jun 15, 2017 1:11 pm

Interesting point of view, Andrew, and thanks. I'll actually pick Con Huevos first, not just for proximity but because that Latino flavor makes egg dishes pop - and, I believe, they use pastured (or at least Kentucky Proud) eggs. I've liked Verbena okay but have never been fully smitten. Somehow it makes me think of a local take on Panera. But listening to your accolades makes me want to saddle up and ride out there again.
User avatar
User

Mark R.

{ RANK }

Foodie

Posts

4369

Joined

Mon Apr 09, 2007 12:02 pm

Location

Anchorage, KY

Re: Wild Eggs maintains its eggy goodness

by Mark R. » Thu Jun 15, 2017 9:31 pm

I love the biscuits and gravy at Wild Eggs, I usually get half-and-half (chorizo gravy and bacon gravy) with 2 sunny side up eggs on top! Their corned beef hash is also very good. We like the food at Verbena although for some reason I don't get the same warm fuzzy feeling there as they do at Wild Eggs. Zeggz falls under the same category for atmosphere and I don't think their food is at quite the same caliber.
Written using Dragon NaturallySpeaking

"Life is short. Drink the good wine first"

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 24 guests

Powered by phpBB ® | phpBB3 Style by KomiDesign